RuPaul Has Pegged Willow Smith as the Actor He Wants to Portray Him On-Screen

RuPaul’s heading to the small screen! And, no, we’re not talking about RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 3 — though we can’t wait for that either. A new dramatic comedy series is coming based on the early days in New York of the world’s most famous drag performer. And Ru just toldPage Six that he’s got someone in mind to play him: Willow Smith.

When Cindy Adams of Page Six objected on grounds that Willow’s only 16, Ru replied:

“Please. I’m doing this a hundred years. At least she’s a biological female. And I don’t need someone bitchy. I’m not. I’m sassy. There’s a kindness in me. I’m really a sweetheart.”

The new show is a co-production between World of Wonder and J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions. The script was written by Gary Lennon of Power.

Right now, there isn’t a home for the show — but that’s only because it’s still early in production. RuPaul explains:

“Networks are bidding on the project now. A one-hour show is 42 minutes. A streaming service is an hour. Until we know which, we haven’t started shooting.”

That said, it sounds like the show has evolved a little in concept. When it was originally announced in March, it was going to be a half-hour program. Now it sounds like it’s expanded to an hour. (At least, however the show’s eventual home defines an hour.)

The series isn’t going to be a straight biopic, but a fictionalized version of RuPaul’s early days, which he described thus:

“This is about my New York life in the ’80s. Interview magazine in those days was my Bible. I grew up in San Diego wanting to be Andy Warhol. No grim storyline about white guys sniffing white powder. It’s the Yellow Brick Road. Wanting to go to six different clubs every night.”

The upcoming series isn’t the only good news in RuPaul’s world. He was also nominated for eight Emmy awards for the latest season of Drag Race and Untucked. Assuming the best, it wouldn’t be his first Emmy, as he won one just last year.